


the double to her trouble

by illbeyourreasonwhy



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: All Flynn wants is for her best friend to be happy, and preferably not in love with a dead guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27359494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illbeyourreasonwhy/pseuds/illbeyourreasonwhy
Summary: Flynn is a lot of things, but before anything she is a damn good friend.Or, a look into Flynn's mindset during the events of Season 1. Written for Day 1 of Julie and the Phantoms Appreciation week
Relationships: Flynn & Julie Molina
Comments: 16
Kudos: 52
Collections: JATP Appreciation Week





	the double to her trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Julie and the Phantoms Appreciation Week, Day 1: Favorite Character

Flynn is a lot of things, but before anything else she is a damn good friend.

It’s something she has prided herself for since she was little, back when she met Julie and Carrie and Julie scraped her knee when a boy pushed her to the ground. While Carrie rushed to defend her, Flynn sat on the ground next to Julie and comforted her, holding her hand even after she stopped crying.

As the years went by, Carrie left, but Julie stayed. Or Flynn stayed, depending on how you looked at it. Either way, they stuck together. From that point on she and Julie were an unstoppable duo, a force to be reckoned with, the double to the other’s trouble.

Then Julie’s mom died, and with her a part of Julie died too.

And Flynn watched, helpless, as Julie, _Jules_ , her best friend, the most important person in the world to her, retreated into herself, closed away the vibrant, lively and musical part of her, shut out the rest of the world. And she might have succeeded in shutting out Flynn, too, if Flynn had only let her.

But she didn’t. Because even if she couldn’t take away Julie’s pain, even if she couldn’t share the burden of it, at least she could be there for her, could hold her while she cried and let her know that she wasn’t alone.

It wasn’t enough, but it was something. And Flynn liked to think it helped, at least a little.

Then Julie started singing again, and joined a ghost band, and now Flynn’s life is _significantly_ weirder.

She and Julie are walking home from school when Flynn notices a floating lip gloss hovering on her right. Flynn thinks it’s a testament to who she has become as a person when, after the initial shock, her only reaction is to say, “Jules, tell your ghost to put that away before people notice.”

Julie turns around and narrows her eyes. “Reggie, give that back. Did you – did you take that out of my purse?” A short pause, during which Flynn can see Julie’s mouth twitch as if she’s fighting down a smile. “That’s great, but _boundaries_ ,” she says emphatically, in a way that makes Flynn thinks they’ve had this conversation before. “And we’re in the middle of the street. Wait till we’re home.”

She yanks the lip gloss back and slips it back in her purse, glancing to Flynn’s left as she does to listen to someone else – probably Luke, since Flynn is pretty sure Alex isn’t with them at the moment.

“The guys are excited because they’re still not great at picking things up,” Julie says casually, still keeping her narrowed gaze on Luke and Reggie. “But apparently they’re getting better, since they can go through my bag now.”

“Ooh, impressive,” Flynn congratulates them, hoping she’s at least looking somewhat in their direction.

“Don’t encourage them,” Julie mutters, but she’s smiling when Flynn bumps her shoulder against hers.

She hooks their arms together the rest of the way home, continuing this four-way discussion even though she can only see Julie. It works, in the weirdest way possible.

“So then I was like, ‘okay, but that doesn’t explain why my white shirt is now pink,’ and he had the nerve to –”

They’re in the cafeteria, Flynn in the middle of telling Julie about hers and her brother’s ongoing prank war, when Julie’s eyes flit over to a spot on her left, and Flynn knows what happened before she even needs to ask.

“Luke!” Julie hisses, confirming Flynn’s theory. “Get off the table!”

“He’s on the table?” Flynn all but shrieks, glaring in the vague direction of where Julie was looking. “Dude, we’re eating here!”

“No, no,” Julie says, laughter in her eyes, “don’t worry, he’s nowhere near your food – what are you doing here?”

Flynn then has to deal with what is becoming a recurring scene: Julie’s attention being half-focused on something to the side, smile brighter than the sun as she listens to Flynn’s story, her eyes drifting to her left every now and again and suppressing a grin.

It should be exasperating, but it’s not, really. Sure, it hurts a little to be sidelined by someone invisible, but it’s worth it. To see Julie smile like this again, it’s worth it.

Flynn loves the guys. Really. They’re fun, they make her laugh, and they’re more than a little nice on the eyes. Most importantly, they brought Julie, her Julie, back to her. For that, she owes them a debt she knows she can never repay.

That doesn’t mean she loves this little development happening before her eyes.

It’s no secret to anyone, and certainly not to Flynn who is getting front-row seats to this whole _situation_ , that Julie and Luke, well, have some… developments happening.

Their chemistry is undeniable. Every time Flynn watches them perform together, she is stunned with how _good_ they look together. They play off each other easily, their electric duets becoming increasingly more intimate with every song, their eyes lingering more and more.

It’s like watching a car slide off the road in slow-motion.

Flynn knows Julie. She knows the signs. She knows where this is heading.

Julie is falling for Luke, and by the looks of it Luke is falling right back.

In any other case, she would be telling Julie to go for it. She likes Luke – she doesn’t know him that well, since this situation makes it difficult for the two of them to have heart-to-hearts, or any real conversations at all, but – but he’s a good guy, and he is clearly head over heels for Julie (as he should be).

He’s just also dead.

And it sucks, because Flynn wants nothing more than to see Julie swept up into a beautiful love story, singing her heart out to this boy who seems to be making her happier than she has been in a really, really long time. It’s what she deserves, especially after the hell of the year she has had. But Luke is a ghost, which means that sooner or later, Julie will get hurt, and Flynn can’t have that.

She wishes things were different. She really does. From what she can see, Luke seems perfect for Julie. He makes her smile and laugh, matches her passion for music and songwriting and performing. And, as Julie keeps saying, they _connect_ on a level Flynn can’t begin to understand.

She doesn’t know much more about him, because, _again_ , the boy is dead.

A fact Julie seems to be forgetting more and more.

“And then I post it and – ta da, I just created the event for tomorrow night’s gig.” Flynn glances up, even though she can’t see anyone next to her. “You still with me?”

A strand of her hair bobs up and down, and she can’t help the little laugh that escapes her. Technically the band is supposed to be rehearsing right now, but Julie and Luke wanted to look over some lyrics, and Reggie and Alex have apparently been very intrigued with social media ever since they first heard about it, so Flynn offered to have them watch as she performed her marketing duties, as she likes to call them.

“Do you want me to show guys how Instagram works? Uh, wave that pillow for yes, lift that mug for no.”

“You know I could just tell you what they say, right?” Julie calls from across the room, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“I don’t want to interrupt your creative inspiration!” Flynn answers, grinning when a pillow starts floating in mid-air. “Alright, so first things first you have to open the app –”

This goes on for a few minutes. It mostly consists of Flynn talking to herself, since she can’t gauge their reactions, but it’s kind of fun. The pillow is still suspended in the air next to her, like Alex is hugging it to his body as he looks over her shoulder, while Reggie will occasionally tug on her bracelet if he needs her to slow down. It’s nice to have an idea of where they are, where she needs to direct her words. It’s nice to hang out with them, period. Flynn likes spending time with the band, and she knows Julie appreciates her making an effort with the boys, too, if her smile is anything to go by.

Speaking of Julie, she is over by the piano shaking her head in amusement at something on her left. Probably Luke, if the heart-eyes are anything to go by. Flynn gives her a look, and she dutifully looks back down at her notebook, although her smile stays in place.

Reggie tugs on her bracelet again, and Flynn pauses. "Which part do you want me to go over again? The double-tap?"

A short pause, then Flynn shrieks as Reggie appears out of thin air, strumming his guitar and humming to a tune she doesn't recognize.

"Sorry," he says, still playing a few notes, "I thought it would be easier if -"

He pauses and looks towards the piano, and Flynn just knows Luke is probably complaining about the guitar pulling him out of his inspiration or something.

Oh, well. They've been on break for twenty minutes, they have a gig tomorrow and Julie is looking at Luke a little too fondly right now.

"Alright, everyone," Flynn announces loudly, standing up and clapping her hands. "Back to work. You have a show to rock tomorrow!"

Reggie looks disappointed, and Luke is probably ranting about how _obviously_ they're going to rock their show, but Flynn is content to stay sitting on the couch as she watches the rest of the band appear and listens to their music fill the air. She's got to admit, Julie's ghost band is growing on her.

_911._

Flynn’s blood runs cold as she reads Julie’s text, reads about the boys and the evil ghost and the fact that they’ll be gone one way or another within the next few days. She’s rushing out the door before she’s even finished reading, her heart pounding as she makes her way to the Molinas’.

She barely registers the whole ‘the guys made a deal with an evil ghost, because there are such things as evil ghosts’ part. It’s irrelevant, really. At the moment, what matters is the fact that Julie is going to lose the boys, lose her band, lose the support system she has built over the last few weeks, and the fact that the boys are leaving, whether they like it or not.

It’s so unfair. It’s so unfair it makes Flynn want to scream at the injustice of it all; for these boys she has come to care for despite not seeing them most of the time, these boys who deserve so much better; for Julie, who finally, finally found herself again, found a new family in this band and is having yet another person – three people – she loves ripped away from her once again. And for herself, too, because she doesn’t know if she can go back, if she can lose Julie a second time.

She finds Julie in her room, heartbroken, and Flynn feels her heart break right along with hers.

This is _exactly_ what she had been worried about.

Well, not exactly, because she’s not sure she could have seen the evil ghost club coming, and this is happening a lot faster than Flynn could have anticipated. But the inevitable separation, and the pain that Julie is going through because of it – it makes her heart break just looking at her.

But she also knows what Julie needs to do, needs to hear, even if Julie is too hurt to see it right now. She loves these boys, and Flynn knows for a fact that Julie will never forgive herself if she doesn’t help them cross over.

Plus, you know, it’s the right thing to do.

“I brought brain food.”

Julie beams when Flynn walks in, carrying two boxes of pizza – considering the boys don’t eat, it’ll be more than enough, but Flynn knows Carlos will want whatever is left over, and from what she gathered, they’re going to be up all night, so they need the fuel.

Julie laughs as Flynn dumps herself onto the studio couch, both girls reaching for a slice. “You should see their faces,” she teases.

“Sorry, boys,” Flynn smiles, taking a bite. “If it makes you feel better, it’s really good.”

“Luke says that’s worse.”

Flynn smirks. The guys aren’t visible, but from the direction of Julie’s gaze she can guess that all three are on the other side of the table, the five of them forming a loose circle. It’s a nice image.

She glances over at Julie. Her eyes are still a little red, but she’s smiling, a determined look in her eye, and looking a lot better than when Flynn left an hour ago. Flynn wants to ask her how she is feeling, but it feels weird asking when she knows the boys are listening, even if she can’t see them. She settles for reaching over and squeezing Julie’s wrist. Julie turns to look at her, and Flynn raises an eyebrow imperceptibly.

Julie reads the question on her face and smiles reassuringly. She’s not at 100%, but she’s okay for now. Flynn squeezes her hand again, before turning to face the boys.

“Alright,” she declares, and it says a lot about the last six weeks that she can speak to thin air so confidently, “so, I hear we’re hatching a plan to get you guys into the Orpheum. Have you guys thought of anything yet?”

Julie shakes her head, gesturing to her laptop. “All we’ve gotten around to is checking the upcoming venues. The soonest is Panic! At The Disco this Saturday.”

“That’s in two days,” Flynn comments, raising both eyebrows. “I mean, you guys are good, but I don’t know if you’re getting-into-the-Orpheum-in-two-days-good.”

There is a pause, during which Julie is clearly listening to one of the ghosts, worrying at her lip. “The sooner the better,” she eventually says, her voice catching just a little. “I mean, there’s another band playing there in two weeks, but…”

The rest of her sentence goes unsaid; they don’t know if Luke, Alex and Reggie have two weeks.

It’s quiet for a moment, the scared look on Julie’s face probably reflecting the ghosts’, and Flynn refuses to let them dwell on that thought any longer than necessary. “Alright, then in two days. Totally doable. How do we do that?”

Julie is quiet, clearly listening to one of the boys, before turning to Flynn, an apologetic look in her eyes. “No, the music will wake my dad up,” she says, answering the boys. “They want to play so that you could hear them,” she clarifies for Flynn’s sake.

That would certainly make things easier, but Flynn gets why it’s not possible right now.

“It’s fine, just translate,” she shrugs. “I’m used to it.”

One hour and five slices of pizza later, they’re no closer to having found a solution.

“Reggie, they already have an opening band,” Julie says, starting to sound exasperated.

Flynn rubs at her temple, trying to think of a way, any way, to get Julie’s band on that stage two nights from now. She’s got nothing. And from the look on Julie’s face, neither do the others.

“Luke!” Julie suddenly cries out, sounding horrified, and what is _that_ about?

“What did he say?”

Julie opens her mouth to answer, then closes it, looking intently at the spot across from her where Flynn is pretty sure Luke is sitting.

“We can’t – and how – Luke – okay, okay!”

Flynn frowns, confused, but Julie is still listening carefully to whatever Luke is saying, looking skeptical.

“What’s happening?” Flynn finally asks.

Julie lets out a breath. “Luke suggested we get rid of the opening band and take their place.”

Flynn freezes. “Get rid of them? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We find a way for them not to make it to their show. Stop their flight, or something – we haven’t thought of the details yet.”

“Okay,” Flynn says slowly, “and then… you take their place? How do you expect the Orpheum to pick you as a replacement for the opening act?”

“We haven’t thought of that yet, either.”

“It could work,” Flynn says, thinking hard. “I guess we just need to figure out the details.”

It’s four in the morning by the time the five of them have come up with a decent plan. The guys leave to track down another ghost called Willie – Flynn has never heard of him before, but Alex apparently trusts him wholeheartedly and that’s good enough for her – to ask for his help in his part of the plan, which leaves Julie and Flynn, leaning heavily against the couch, fighting back sleep.

“Come on,” Flynn finally says, painfully hoisting herself up and offering a hand to Julie. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Julie groans, but allows her to pull her to her feet. Flynn wraps one arm around her shoulders, and they slowly make their way inside the house.

“You’re sleeping over, right?” Julie mumbles sleepily after they’ve dropped off the leftover pizza in the fridge (Carlos will be happy, there are four slices left).

“Uh, yeah,” Flynn says, yawning. “No way am I going back home in this state.”

Julie doesn’t answer, but she leans her head against Flynn’s shoulder as they keep walking, smiling softly.

“Thanks,” she whispers as they reach her room.

“For what?” Flynn asks. She has a set of pajamas in Julie’s room because she sleeps over so often, but right now she is so tired she is debating whether or not it is truly worth it to bother changing.

Julie lets herself fall on the bed, apparently not planning on changing either, and Flynn follows suit.

“Everything,” she answers quietly. “For being here.”

“'Course, Jules,” Flynn says, nudging her. “Always. You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Julie reaches for her, pulling her into a hug, and Flynn hugs her back instinctively, wishing with everything she has that she could protect Julie from ever getting hurt again. But she can't, so the next best thing is to stay with her, and make sure that whatever hurt she comes across, she doesn't have to face it alone.

It's quiet for a long time after that. Flynn is convinced Julie has fallen asleep when the other girl speaks up, barely above a whisper and yet so loud in the silence. “Do you think it’s going to work?”

Honestly, Flynn doesn’t know. She hopes it will, with all her heart.

“Yeah, I do,” she answers, because that’s what Julie needs to hear.

Julie smiles. "Me too."

And with that she closes her eyes, hand still clasped in Flynn's; Flynn smiles softly, then closes her own eyes, sleep finding her within moments.


End file.
